- Adam Easton
- BBC News, Warsaw
Poland has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and Waters’ comments provoked a backlash
Concerts scheduled in Poland for Roger Waters, co-founder of Pink Floyd, have been canceled amid anger over the musician’s stance on the Ukraine war.
The party’s promoter, Live Nation Poland, confirmed its cancellation but did not provide any reason for it.
The controversy began over Waters writing an open letter to Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska.
In it, the singer said that Ukraine’s “radical nationalists” had “put your country on the path of this disastrous war.”
Waters accused her husband, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, of failing to deliver on his campaign promises to bring peace to the Donbass region and made no mention of Russia’s responsibility for the war.
In response, Zelenska wrote on Twitter, that it was Russia that invaded Ukraine and is now destroying its cities and killing civilians. “Roger Waters, you should ask for peace from another head of state,” she added.
Waters’ open letter prompted Lukas Wantosh, a member of the Polish city council of Krakow, to urge people to boycott his concerts.
City council members have drafted a resolution declaring Waters persona non grata, which is scheduled to be voted on at a hearing on September 28.
Taking into account the Russian criminal attack on Ukraine as well as the increasing number of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers that have come to light, expresses [أعضاء المجلس] outraged by the theses and statements made by Roger Waters in connection with the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Waters, who is currently on a US tour, responded in another Facebook post titled “Lucas Wantouch, leave the kids alone,” referring to the lyrics of the classic Pink Floyd song, Another Brick in the Wall.
Waters denied what came in Media report that he or his management canceled the concerts themselves and accused Wantush of exercising “strict control” over his work.
Asked if the cancellation was related to Waters’ comments, a spokesman for the Taoron Arena, the venue that was due to host concerts in Krakow, told the BBC: “No comment.”
The Polish government has been a strong ally of Zelensky since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Poland sent hundreds of tanks and other Soviet-era weapons to Ukraine and encouraged the European Union to impose tougher sanctions on Russia.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, the government decided to open Poland’s borders to millions of Ukrainian women and children fleeing the fighting.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, nearly 1.4 million Ukrainians have registered for temporary protection in neighboring Poland.
The Poles hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees in their homes.